2012 Junior European vault champion Chantysha Netteb (the Netherlands) told IG that her experiences at April's European championships should serve her well as she prepares for the upcoming world championships.

Netteb placed sixth in the vault final at the Europeans in Moscow, her first senior competition, despite an injury sustained in qualification. She competed on uneven bars and balance beam as well but withdrew from the competition on floor exercise, costing her a chance to compete in the all-around final.

Chantysha Netteb (The Netherlands)

"I landed wrong on my first vault and felt a little pain in my leg," Netteb said of the injury to her left leg. "As a precaution, our medical staff decided to pull me out of the all-around competition. The day before the vault final it was not sure if I could do the final, because I still felt the pain. But on the day of the final my leg felt better, and in consultation with our medical team I decided to compete."

Competing with a bandaged left leg in the final, Netteb under-rotated and then fell on her first vault, a double-twisting Yurchenko. She performed a steady full-twisting Tsukahara as her second vault, and finished sixth with a two-vault average score of 13.533 points.

"As a precaution, the medical staff taped my leg," she said. "I really do not know what went wrong with my first vault. Maybe I unconsciously held back so I would not get seriously injured."

Netteb said performing with some of the world’s best in Moscow should serve her well as she prepares for the upcoming world championships.

"I looked up to the experienced gymnasts but I did not let it influence me," Netteb said. "It gave me confidence and made me mentally stronger."

Netteb, who trains at BATO Gymnastics in Haarlem, said she is now focused on earning her the chance to compete at this fall's world championships in Antwerp.

"I hope I manage to qualify for worlds," she said. "I want to do a good and stable all-around so I can qualify for the all-around final, and I want to realize two strong vaults that can place me in the vault final."

Netteb said continues to gain extra confidence from her coach, Katarina Sarisska, a member of the fourth-place Czechoslovakian team at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

"My coach knows that generally I can keep my nerves under control," Netteb said, "but she always says 'Just be yourself, don't be nervous, and just keep popping.'"

Netteb said the injury she sustained in Moscow will restrict her at the upcoming Dutch championships in Rotterdam. She won the 2012 Dutch junior all-around title.

"I am recovering from the injury, so unfortunately I will not do the all-around," she said. "I am only doing bars, because we don't want to take any risk, so I can be full recovered for the qualification for worlds."

Netteb said her immediate goal is to enjoy her 16th birthday celebration on Saturday.

"My mother has planned something nice for my birthday," she told IG. "But I do not know what it is."

Read coverage of the 2013 European Championships in the May 2013 issue of International Gymnast magazine. To subscribe or order back issues, click here.

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